Maine has put in place several laws that could be used as national models to provide employment protection to victims of domestic violence, a state commissioner told members of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.

Laura Fortman, commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor, addressed the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety at a hearing in Washington, D.C., titled “Too Much, Too Long?: Domestic Violence in the Workplace.” Fortman was invited to speak by subcommittee member Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

According to Fortman’s staff, who sent a copy of her remarks to the Bangor Daily News on Tuesday, Fortman was invited to speak on behalf of a federal bill, the Survivors Empowerment and Economic Security Act, which would entitle victims of domestic violence to unemployment compensation, emergency leave from work and insurance benefits, and would protect them from workplace discrimination. The bill also authorizes the secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants for domestic or sexual violence training programs.

Maine already has put in place three labor laws that protect and support victims of domestic violence, including the nation’s first law giving victims unpaid leave from work to cope with consequences, enacted in 1999.

“You may be puzzled by the level of attention domestic abuse has received in Maine. I am sorry to say that it is not just because we are a caring, compassionate state. Unfortunately, our concern is prompted by the harsh reality that domestic abuse homicides account for over half of all homicides in Maine. That statistic has been true for the past 15 years,” Fortman’s written remarks stated.

In her speech, Fortman described Maine’s legislation surrounding domestic violence. The Employment Leave for Victims of Violence law requires employers to grant leave from work if an employee or employee’s child, parent or spouse is a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking.

Maine’s Unemployment Compensation Disqualification Clause secures benefits for an individual who voluntarily leaves work to protect himself-herself from domestic abuse.

The state’s Unemployment Compensation Misconduct Clause prohibits an employer from accusing an employee of misconduct if the employee has taken action necessary to protect himself-herself or an immediate family member from domestic violence.

Fortman recommended that every employer develop a workplace violence policy and that all supervisors receive training to identify, support and assist victims of domestic violence.

“Many Americans are developing their strongest friendships and support systems at the workplace,” Fortman wrote. “When either the victim or the perpetrator walks out their front door, domestic abuse follows them into their neighborhood – the workplace.”

Fortman noted Gov. John Baldacci’s 2004 Executive Order to require Maine state agencies to partner with the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence to develop workplace policies and training for assisting employees who are victims. The Maine Department of Labor has created a workplace poster on domestic abuse that shares facts about family violence and information about getting help. The poster is online and available to any employer, Fortman wrote.

“I hope that you can move forward to develop consistent national policies that create workplaces safe from domestic violence and that help businesses develop internal policies, including appropriate safety plans, that keep violence out of the workplace,” Fortman wrote.

To download Maine Department of Labor’s domestic abuse poster for your workplace, visit: http://www.maine.gov/labor/posters/.